The game of poker involves a lot of chance but with good bluffing skills and luck you can win big. While the initial forced bets (or antes) require a small amount of money, subsequent bets are made voluntarily by players who believe that their bet has positive expected value or who want to bluff other players for strategic reasons. This means that the overall game of poker is a mixture of luck, psychology and mathematical analysis.

Each player is dealt two cards face-down and then bets on the strength of their hand. Once the first betting round is complete the dealer puts three additional cards on the table that everyone can use (the flop).

If you have pocket kings and the flop comes A-8-5 then it’s likely your luck has turned and people will be very hesitant to raise against you. However, this isn’t always the case and you should also be careful if there are a lot of straights or flushes on the board.

As you play more and watch experienced players, you’ll begin to develop quick instincts for predicting what hands are strong or weak. This will help you avoid making bad decisions. It’s also important to take your time when thinking about your decisions. You may be tempted to make your decisions automatically but this is a huge mistake that even advanced players often make. This is because you’ll lose a lot of money on bad moves.